Every year, fairgoers flock to see the butter sculpture, drink 25-cent milk, enjoy games and rides on the Midway, see concerts at the Grandstand and Chevy Court, watch strolling performers and eat all the deep-fried food their arteries can handle. But this year's fair includes a dozen new things worth seeing and trying -- one for each day the NYS Fair is open from Aug. 22 to Sep. 2.

1. Hot Air Balloon rides
Missed a chance to take flight at the Jamesville Balloonfest? The RE/MAX Hot Air Balloon will be at the NYS Fair infield on Aug. 23-27 to offer tethered balloon rides from 6 to 8 p.m., weather permitting. Carroll Teitsworth and his crew from Liberty Balloon Co. will take customers up in the balloon and fly over the fairgrounds for $15 per person. Partial proceeds go towards the Children's Miracle Network.

2. Hypnotist Marshal Manlove
Certified hypnotherapist Marshal Manlove will make fairgoers veryyyy sleepy -- and laugh. His "mentalism" shows mix comedy with mind-rinding, predictions and the power of suggestion for brave volunteers who get up on stage. Don't think you can be hypnotized? You'll get a chance to find out for yourself every day at 5 p.m. on the Regional Artists Variety Stage, located next to the Taste NY Wine Village.

3. "The Biggest Kid in the World"
If you saw Taylor Swift's performance at the Grammy Awards, you might recognize this new act: The Biggest Kid in the World, who shrinks and grows again, will be wandering around daily at Chevy Court. Other performers you'll see walking around the fairgrounds this year include stilt walkers Cricket and Dragonfly, one-man orchestra Bandaloni, Hilby the German juggler, and the Scott Land Marionettes.

4. Movie night at the Midway Music Series stage
Forget the popcorn -- watch a flick with a wine slushie and pizza frites instead. A huge inflatable movie screen will be placed on the Midway Music Series stage Monday, August 26 at 8 p.m. for the fair's first-ever movie night, free with admission. "Spiders," the 2013 science-fiction thriller about venomous mutant arachnids attacking New York City, will be shown and writer Dustin Warburton will on hand to discuss the film and sign autographs.

5. Dairy Cow Birthing Center
This may be difficult for some to watch, but the miracle of life will be on full display at the 2013 New York State Fair. The educational new exhibit shows a dairy cow giving birth to a calf daily, thanks to the New York Animal Agriculture Coalition and Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine. Curious attendees can see the live cow-birthing from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. next to the FFA Building, near tram stop No. 8.

6. Mutts Gone Nuts and "Extreme Canines"
Like dogs? You'll love two canine-related entertainment features at the fair this year. Mutts Gone Nuts is a circus comedy dog act that performs amazing tricks daily at 11 a.m., 2:45 and 4:30 p.m. in the Youth Activity Center area. "Extreme Canines" is a group of stunt dogs getting acrobatic in the air as they catch Frisbees daily at 11 a.m., 3:15 and 5 p.m. in the Sports Activity Center in front of the Toyota Coliseum.

7. Food! Deep-fried gummy bears and a chicken-and-donut sandwich
Every year there's new fare at the fair, whether it's exotic animals on a stick or some crazy food combination like the long john donut hot dog dipped in maple syrup. What will 2013's top new treat be? Fair officials are excited for the deep-fried gummy bear, a huge jelly bear skewered on a stick and dipped in batter, while others are hungry for the latest heart attack in a handful, the Southern Fried Chicken Donut from Big Kahuna. Also, Fried Specialties stand owner Jim Hasbrouck says he'll deep-fry anything, from hot fudge sundaes to strawberry tacos.

8. Team Turbo Dunk and USTA SmashZone Mobile Tour
Sports fans can enjoy a mix of basketball and tennis this year. Gymnasts will flip and twist while making Harlem Globetrotter-like dunks for Team Turbo Dunk, performing three times daily at the Sports Activity Center in front of the Toyota Coliseum. And for parents looking to get their kids to burn some calories in between all the food, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) will present SmashZone be in the Infield Amusement Area on Thurs., Aug. 29, through Sunday, Sept. 1. There, children will be able to play tennis for free on four courts, as well as enjoy interactive exhibits.

9. Nerveless Nocks motorcycle exhibition
Evel Knievel, eat your heart out: The Nerveless Nocks will risk life and limb on motorcycles while performing two-wheeled stunts daily at 1:30, 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. in the Adventure Zone behind the Horticulture Building. One of their craziest death-defying tricks involves three motorcycles racing around inside a small globe.

10. Lorikeets and parakeets at the Eudora Farms Petting Zoo
Always a popular treat at the fair, the petting zoo allows adults and children alike to see and touch animals like kangaroos, yaks, llamas, apes, watusi and even ride a camel. This year, Eudora Farms will have a new exhibit with hundreds of tiny lorikeets and parakeets, and fairgoers can purchase bird seed sticks for the colorful creatures to fly to and land on. Enjoy the animal kingdom daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., with educational shows at 2:45 and 4:15 p.m. n the Adventure Zone behind the Horticulture Building.

11. Faster lines for the $1 baked potato
One of the longest lines at the fair is always for the $1 baked potato, and with a deal like that it's easy to understand why. However, hungry people in the Horticulture Building will be able to get it faster as officials announced a new plan to reduce time waiting in line. This year, the potato area will be split up into separate stations for getting the potato, a drink and putting on condiments. They were previously all in one place, which created the so-called "Great $1 Baked Potato Bottleneck."

12. New York State Fair history exhibit
Did you know the NYS Fair used to travel from city to city throughout the state? Whether you're a first-timer or a longtime fan of the Great New York State Fair, there's plenty to learn about from the annual event's history. Inside the Grange building, an exhibit will highlight the past with a pre-Civil war map, clay models of butter sculptures, photos of previous entertainers, and a gold medal from the 1980 U.S. Olympics, held in Lake Placid that year and honored at the fair with a mini-Olympic Village.